A federal prison grievance was unsealed charging Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 34, of Catonsville, Maryland, and Brandon Clint Russell, 27, of Orlando, Florida, with conspiracy to destroy an vitality facility.
The defendants had been arrested on Feb. 3. Clendaniel will make her preliminary court docket look in the present day within the U.S. District Court docket in Baltimore earlier than U.S. Justice of the Peace Decide Brendan Hurson. Russell will make his preliminary look in the present day in U.S. District Court docket in Orlando, Florida, earlier than U.S. Justice of the Peace Decide Embry Kidd.
“Pushed by their ideology of racially-motivated hatred, the defendants allegedly schemed to assault native energy grid amenities,” mentioned Assistant Legal professional Basic for Nationwide Safety Matthew G. Olsen. “The Justice Division is not going to tolerate those that threaten crucial infrastructure and imperil communities within the identify of home violent extremism.”
“This alleged deliberate assault threatened lives and would have left hundreds of Marylanders within the chilly and darkish,” mentioned U.S. Legal professional Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “We’re united and dedicated to utilizing each authorized means essential to disrupt violence, together with hate-fueled assaults.”
“Assaults on a number of electrical substations in Maryland would have precipitated struggling to hundreds of People going about their on a regular basis lives, however the FBI and our companions put a cease to that risk,” mentioned Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “Based on the prison grievance, the defendants allegedly had been taking particular steps to hold out their plans, together with choosing targets and attempting to illegally purchase a rifle. The FBI and our companions will maintain accountable all those that commit prison acts that threaten the security of these in our communities, no matter their motivations.”
“The risk posed by home violent extremists is evolving and protracted,” mentioned Particular Agent in Cost Thomas J. Sobocinski of the FBI Baltimore Subject Workplace. “The FBI will proceed to work carefully with our legislation enforcement and personal sector companions to establish and disrupt any potential risk to the security of our residents.”
As alleged within the affidavit filed in assist of the prison grievance:
From a minimum of June 2022 to the current, Russell conspired to hold out assaults in opposition to crucial infrastructure, particularly electrical substations, in furtherance of Russell’s racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist beliefs. As alleged, Russell inspired the use Mylar balloons to quick out an influence transformer and, in a dialog on Oct. 25, 2022, Russell inspired an assault be carried out “when there may be best pressure on the grid,” like “when everyone seems to be utilizing electrical energy to both warmth or cool their properties.”
In his conversations on encrypted communications functions, Russell posted hyperlinks to open-source maps of infrastructure, which included the areas {of electrical} substations, and he described how a small variety of assaults on substations may trigger a “cascading failure.” Russell additionally mentioned maximizing the influence of the deliberate assault by hitting a number of substations at one time.
A Maryland-based lady recognized as Sarah Beth Clendaniel, collaborated on a plan to hold out the assaults. Particularly, Clendaniel mentioned her desired rifle for the assault. In later conversations, Clendaniel allegedly said that in the event that they hit plenty of electrical substations all in the identical day, they “would fully destroy this complete metropolis,” and {that a} “good 4 or 5 photographs by means of the middle of them . . . ought to make that occur.” She additional added, “[i]t would in all probability completely fully lay this metropolis to waste if we may do this efficiently.”
If convicted, Russell and Clendaniel every face a most sentence of 20 years in federal jail for conspiracy to wreck an vitality facility. A federal district court docket decide will decide any sentence after contemplating the U.S. Sentencing Tips and different statutory components.
The FBI Baltimore Subject Workplace is investigating the case, with useful help offered by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Job Drive and Tampa, Washington and New York Subject Workplaces in addition to the Maryland State Police and the Baltimore County Police Division.
Assistant U.S. Legal professional Kathleen O. Gavin for the District of Maryland is prosecuting the case, with useful help offered by Assistant U.S. Legal professional Christina Hoffman for the District of Maryland and the Nationwide Safety Division’s Counterterrorism Part.
A grievance is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed harmless till confirmed responsible past an affordable doubt in a court docket of legislation.
